


Light after a long night

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: Captain America (Movies), MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Asgardian brother feels, Gen, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Post Infinity War, So is Bucky, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Thor and Loki feels, speculation clearly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 22:10:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12945063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: Set at the end of infinity wars.Loki is looking amongst the casualties of battle for his brother, while badly injured.Steve and Bucky find him and help.Mostly brotherly feels, Steve and Bucky being buddies, vulnerable Loki.





	Light after a long night

It had been a carnage, but somehow Steve had made it out alive, and with Bucky by his side. Maybe it was all the Wakandan enhancements and weaponry, maybe they were just lucky. The thing was, among all that death and horror, they got each other's back, and they managed to see the end of it, their victory.

But it was a very bittersweet victory, because they lost so much, they lost very valuable people, and some of them they had to watch as they suffered and died. Even though they were still in one piece, this battle had scarred them in ways they couldn't even guess. But for now, they couldn't just collapse and cry just yet, they needed to still be up, they needed to find Sam, who they hadn't seen in too long. And when you lost sight of somebody... well, one could only expect the worst.

Through the silent, blood filled street, a soft, weak voice could be heard in the distance. Someone with desperation in the voice, someone who was using the last of their strength to call out, with only a fading last thread of hope.

“Thor? Has anyone seen my brother?”

If anyone had gone through hell in that battle, that was Loki. Neither Steve nor Bucky knew exactly what was the relationship between Loki and Thanos, but the fact was that the mad Titan was able to frighten and hurt Loki in ways in ways most people in the universe couldn't dream of. It had been complicated for Loki to convince the others that he wasn't actually on Thanos' side, there had been some bargaining to avoid what sounded like eternal torture...

For a while, Loki was one of them. He made friends with Nebula (another former villain, no surprise there) and with Vision (this was a bit more surprising, even if they did share an out-of-this-world-gentleman air) and with Mantis (this was downright bizarre). He knew things about Thanos and his army that only a double agent could know, and for logical reasons (he did try to kill the Avengers in the past) banded more with the Guardians.

And then one of Thanos' people snatched him and only left traces of blood. Thor had nearly lost it in that moment, creating a thunder and lightning storm that shook the entire neighborhood they were in.

But Steve did see some of him sometime later during the battle, illusions, decoys and mind games that paralleled Wanda's, and gave them some very good advantages. Whatever his mistakes in the past, in this battle Loki had helped the planet he once tried to conquer, at great cost to himself.

He'd finished in a truly terrible state. As they saw him come closer through the deserted street, they could tell that the Asgardian could hardly stand. His legs were wobbling, his clothes were torn and nearly all of him was covered in dried or fresh blood. Steve and Bucky didn't know what had happened while Thanos had him, but there were ligature marks on his neck, and bloody tracks under his eyes, that had an unfocused look in them. He looked as if he was going to keel over right then and there.

And would have, gladly, but he needed to find Thor. The last time he had seen him one of Thanos' henchmen had the upper hand, and now he couldn't find him anywhere and what if they had done something to him, not Thor, not his big brother, please no... There was somebody in the shadows, he couldn't see clearly but they were bulky and bearded and maybe... Oh. The Captain. It was disappointing, but at least the man was alive. Loki respected the Captain. He knew when to be a fugitive and what was really just. He had known what it was to be an outcast, and so did his companion.

“Hey, man.” Barnes said, and Loki realised he was there too. “Good to see you.”

Steve and Bucky got closer and there was a question in Loki's reddened green eyes.

“I... don't know where Thor is, but we'll help you look for him, all right?” There was hope in the Captain's blue eyes, and Loki nodded. “Three pairs of eyes can see more than one.”

Loki was swaying even more dangerously now, and Bucky found a way to let the god lean on him, carry some of his weight. Loki didn't offer much resistance, dangerously close as he was to unconsciousness. It was only the fear of what may have happened to Thor that kept him awake and alert, he needed to find him, help him, tell him... tell him...Everything was so fuzzy and blurry so covered in white hot pain...

“He was wearing a black eyepatch, right? I think I saw him.” Bucky said, even if he was making it up. “He was with Gamora. I'm sure she didn't let anything happen to him.”

Loki half-smiled at Barnes. It was nice of him to say so.

Bucky liked Loki probably more than the others. Loki knew like him what was to hate your own past, to have done unspeakable things. He knew about self hatred, and he had started to recover, to make himself a new path, like what Bucky was trying to do with his own life... And then this happened. Loki had a lot of scars, in his body but most of all in his mind, and they understood each other, respected each other.

They both knew what was to lose one's identity, to feel lost and in a void of pain and oblivion. It was not something many people understood.

So now Bucky was trying to ease Loki's pain, because he liked the guy, and could empathise with what he was going through. If he'd lost Steve, if he couldn't find him... Steve was really all that he had left of his time, of his home, the only person on earth that truly knew him and had known him always, the one person he could trust and could talk to. Much like Thor was for Loki.

Loki had lost everything that was important to him. He'd lost his mom and then his estranged father, he lost his home planet, and was now stranded in the home of his enemies, after being nearly unmade by the presence that had caused his worst nightmares. Both Bucky and Steve really hoped they could find Thor, and that he was all right. He had to be.

Loki, in his semi-conscious state seemed to be thinking something on those lines.

“... I can't, if he...I have nothing left, no one left...”

“Don't talk like that, ok?” Steve said, his voice soft. “Whatever happens, you have Nebula and Valkyrie who are pretty much unkillable. And you have us, ok? We may not have known each other for long, but we won't abandon you, all right?”

If you told Steve that he would be giving Loki a pep talk and telling him he wouldn't abandon him some months ago.. But Loki had grown on him, he was incredibly complicated and had a million layers and masks, but Steve did believe that there was good on him, and that he'd been finally ready to let it out, live up to his potential. He needed somebody to ground him, validate him, tell him good things. We all needed some cheering up from time to time.

They found Scott and Wanda, and some time later Sam and Pepper, and it was good, there were hugs and many I'm glad you're okays, but Loki refused to let someone look at his wounds until they found Thor, but both him and any of the Guardians were strangely missing. There were tears in Loki's eyes as he kept calling his brother's name, and it was getting painful even for Steve and Bucky.

When night fell, Loki broke down in Steve's arms, and just cried in a truly heartbreaking way. Steve embraced him, rocked him, told him it would be okay. Bucky sang a lullaby from his time. They too, cried for the people they lost, for all the horror they had to witness, to live through. All those good people that were now gone.

At some point Loki passed out, drained. Steve simply took him in his arms while he and Bucky continued searching for Thor. They wanted to find him, too, almost as bad Loki did. They needed a happy ending, desperately so.

But when everything seemed lost, morning came, and with it light, and just the voice they were waiting to hear.

“Loki!!!! Loki, where are you?”

Loki's bloodshot eyes widened.

“Are you hearing this too?” He said, and found to his utter joy that the other two men were smiling as well.

“Thor!”

And at the sound of the familiar voice Thor was running, running towards the source of the sound where he indeed found his brother, hurt bad and barely awake, but there, and alive. They embraced for a long time. Steve and Bucky did too.

It had been a carnage, the battle had been gruesome, but neither of them had lost a brother.

Almost a miracle.

 


End file.
